Vacuum cleaner filter assembly and vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

A vacuum cleaner filter assembly having at least one dust collecting chamber adapted to be coupled to a cyclonic dust separation unit, and a filter unit attached to and extending from the dust collecting chamber.

The present invention is directed to a vacuum cleaner, in particularcyclone type vacuum cleaner, and a vacuum cleaner filter assembly.

Cyclone type vacuum cleaners are widely known because of their benefitin bagless dust collection. Bagless or cyclone type vacuum cleaners orrespective cyclone dust separating units are known for example fromdocuments EP 1 042 981 A1, EP 1774887 A1, EP 1 688 078 A2, EP 1 952 745A2 and WO 2011/058365.

Cyclone type vacuum cleaners, in particular mentioned in the state oftechnology documents listed before, still have comparatively complicateddust collecting units, which often require complicated cleaning andemptying of dust collection chambers and dust collecting filters.

Therefore, it is one of the objects of the present invention to solvethe problems observed with state of technology. In particular, a cyclonetype vacuum cleaner and a vacuum cleaner filter assembly shall beprovided, which are of comparatively compact design, and enableconvenient use and operability.

These and further objects are solved by the features of claims 1 and 11.Embodiments and variants result from respective dependent claims.

According to claim 1, a vacuum cleaner filter assembly is provided whichcomprises at least one dust collecting chamber, in particular dustcollecting compartment. The at least one dust collecting chamber inparticular is adapted to accommodate dust separated in a cyclonic dustseparating step. The at least one dust collecting chamber therefore isadapted to be coupled to a cyclonic dust separation unit, in particularto a dust outlet face of a cyclonic dust separation unit.

The vacuum cleaner filter assembly further comprises a filter unit,which may be or comprise flat filter unit or flat filter panel, inparticular a fine filter unit or fine filter panel. In particular suchfilter units are adequate to be installed downstream of one or moresuperior filter units, in particular cyclonic filter units. Inparticular, the proposed filter unit may represent a final filter stepof the vacuum cleaner.

According to the invention it is proposed that the filter unit isattached to and extends from the at least one dust collecting chamber.In this way, simplified operation and space saving designs can beobtained. In particular, the filter unit may be attached and extend froma lateral side of the at least one dust collecting chamber.

According to an embodiment, the vacuum cleaner filter assembly comprisestwo identical dust collecting chambers. Identical shall mean that thedust collecting chambers have almost and essentially the same design andgeometric dimensions.

The two dust collecting chambers preferably are arranged to be laterallyspaced from each other in a mirror symmetric alignment. This inparticular shall mean that the dust collecting chambers are offset fromeach other in lateral direction. Preferably, the dust collectingchambers are oriented in a parallel alignment, and preferably arealigned parallel and symmetric with respect to a central symmetry plane.According to the proposed embodiment, the filter unit is attached to andextends between opposing lateral sides of the dust collecting chambers.In other words, the filter unit is arranged or sandwiched between thetwo dust collecting chambers, in particular between two mutually facinglateral sides of the dust collecting chambers. Arranging and sandwichingthe filter unit between the two dust collecting chambers may lead toenhanced mechanical stability and to compact design options.

According to a further embodiment of the vacuum cleaner filter assembly,dust inlet openings are provided at the at least one dust collectingchamber. The dust inlet openings are adapted to be coupled with dustoutlet openings of a related cyclonic dust separation unit. The dustinlet openings preferably are provided at a face side of the at leastone dust collecting chamber. The face side shall refer to a side of thedust collecting chamber oriented perpendicular to the lateral sides. Thespecial arrangement of dust inlet openings at the face sides, whereinthe filter unit is arranged and extending from the lateral face sides isfavorable with respect to compact design and usability.

In a variant of the vacuum cleaner filter assembly, it is provided thatthe face side, carrying the dust inlet openings, is tilted relative to abase area of the at least one dust collecting chamber. If several dustcollecting chambers are provided, respective face sides may be tiltedaccordingly. Note that the base area in particular shall refer to abottom plane perpendicular to the lateral sides.

In general, the dust collecting chambers, in particular inner volumesthereof, may have a parallelepiped, in particular rectangularparallelepiped, in particular cuboid basic structure. In connection withtilted face sides, on which dust inlet openings may be provided, a crosssection of the dust collecting chamber, in parallel its face sides,basically has/have a triangular shape. Parts or volumes of the dustcollecting chamber off the tilted face sides may be of cuboid, inparticular parallelepiped shape.

Tilted face sides may be advantageous for providing dust inlet openingsadapted to be coupled to dust outlet openings of the cyclonic dustseparation unit. In particular, such configurations are expedient foreasily couple vacuum cleaner filter assembly and cyclones of a cyclonicdust separation unit, in particular in linear motions. As an example,corresponding and slanted faces of vacuum cleaner filter assembly andcyclonic dust separation unit may be coupled by pushing the vacuumcleaner filter assembly in a linear motion into a respective slotprovided in or at a bottom face of the vacuum cleaner, for example.

It is preferred, that a tilt angle of the face side of the vacuumcleaner filter assembly, in which the dust inlet openings are provided,lies in the range between 10 and 50 degrees, advantageously amountsabout 30 degrees.

In a further variant, at least for a main part of a dust collectingchamber, cross sectional areas of the dust collecting chamber in planesparallel to the base area decrease in a direction from bottom to top.Preferably, almost all cross sections are of rectangular shape. Such aconfiguration may be advantageous for space saving designs and layoutsof the vacuum cleaner filter assembly.

In a further embodiment of the vacuum cleaner filter assembly, a filterpanel or filter element of the filter unit is slanted relative to aground area of the vacuum cleaner filter assembly. Preferably, thefilter panel is aligned with, in particular essentially parallel to, thetilted face side of the dust collecting chambers. Such an arrangement ofthe filter panel may be advantageous for space saving design and filterefficiency.

In a yet further embodiment, the vacuum cleaner filter assemblycomprises a lid adapted to close and seal a bottom opening of the atleast one dust collecting chamber. The lid obviously may be provided forthe purpose of emptying the dust collecting chamber. Providing orarranging the opening and lid at the bottom site of the dust collectingchamber may be advantageous for emptying the dust collecting chamberwithout major dust disturbances and dust exposure to a user.

According to a preferred variant, the lid is movably, i.e. movably to beopened, viz openably, attached to and provided at a bottom face of thevacuum cleaner filter assembly. In particular, the lid may be pivotablyattached. A pivot axis of the lid may be located at, along and/orparallel to a longitudinal edge, in particular bottom edge, of thevacuum cleaner filter assembly. At the other, opposite or remotelongitudinal edge, or also at other edges or locations, there may beprovided locking devices and/or latches, in particular snap connections,adapted for tightly closing the dust collecting chamber.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one dust collecting chamber andat least a supporting frame of the filter unit are implemented as aone-piece part. In this case, the vacuum cleaner filter assembly may beprovided as a single component without any loose parts, which willgreatly enhance usability of the vacuum cleaner filter assembly. For theone piece part, manufacturing processes such as injection molding andthe like may be considered, in particular as the vacuum cleaner filterassembly, at least main sections, in particular load bearing sections orframes, may be made from plastic materials.

According to claim 11, a vacuum cleaner is provided which comprises aprimary stage cyclone dust separator and a sequential secondary stagecyclone dust separator. Dust outlets of the secondary stage cyclone dustseparator are connected to dust inlets of a vacuum cleaner filterassembly according to any of the embodiments and variants describedabove and further below. As to advantages and advantageous effects,reference is made to the description above.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the vacuum cleaner, a holdingfixture for removably holding the vacuum cleaner filter assembly withina cleaner body may be provided. The holding fixture and/or vacuumcleaner filter assembly is accessible from a bottom side of the cleanerbody. In order to properly accommodate the vacuum cleaner filterassembly within the cleaner body, a recess or slot may be providedallowing the vacuum cleaner filter unit to be pushed in and out. A covermay be provided to close the recess or slot and/or to lock the vacuumcleaner filter assembly therein. The cover may be of planar shape with aclosed surface or comprise a grid-like structure.

The concept of integrating operational functions in or at the bottomside of a vacuum cleaner, such as the vacuum cleaner filter assembly maycontribute to compact designs and/or even simplify operation of thevacuum cleaner. Therefore, it has been found to be advantageous that thevacuum cleaner filter assembly is accessible and can be handled fromand/or at the bottom side of the vacuum cleaner, in particular cleanerbody. Note that implementing functional elements, in particular flaps orlids and respective openings for filter replacement at the bottom sideof the vacuum cleaner had not been considered in state of technology sofar. Therefore, new options in functionality, and in design, inparticular space saving design, will be available.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in connection withthe annexed figures, in which.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner;

FIG. 2 shows a partially broken up lateral side view of a vacuumcleaner;

FIG. 3 shows a vertical cross sectional view of the vacuum cleaner;

FIG. 4 shows a first perspective view of a vacuum cleaner filterassembly;

FIG. 5 shows a second perspective view of the vacuum cleaner filterassembly; and

FIG. 6 shows a third perspective view of the vacuum cleaner filterassembly.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner 1. The vacuumcleaner comprises a horizontal type cleaner body 2 with a bottom 3, top4, front 5, back side 6 and lateral sides 7.

The term horizontal type shall mean that in the ordinary and intendedposition of use, the cleaner body 2 is positioned essentiallyhorizontally. This type is also called cylinder or canister vacuumcleaner. In the context of the present invention and in more generalterms this in particular shall mean that the cleaner body 2 duringnormal operation and with regard to front 5 to back 6 direction ispositioned essentially parallel to the ground underneath. Note that inthe figures, the vacuum cleaner is shown in its ordinary horizontal useposition.

A horizontal type vacuum cleaner 1 in the meaning of the presentapplication is for example shown in EP 1 774 887 A1. Aside fromhorizontal type vacuum cleaners there also exist vertical typeconstructions generally comprising a handle to which the cleaner body ismounted to and by which the cleaner body is moved in concert withvacuum-cleaning operations. This type is also called upright type vacuumcleaner. One example of such a vertical type vacuum cleaner is shown inWO 2011/058365.

The vacuum cleaner 1 comprises a primary stage cyclone dust separator 8.The primary stage cyclone dust separator 8 is coupled to a primary stagedust collecting chamber 9. A dust outlet opening 10 (FIG. 3) of theprimary stage cyclone dust separator 8 is fluidly connected to theprimary stage dust collecting chamber 9.

The primary stage dust collecting chamber 9, which may also bedesignated as a dust collecting container, is positioned and arranged atthe front side 5 of the cleaner body 2.

The vacuum cleaner 1 comprises wheels 11 arranged at/in or on thelateral sides 7 and bottom side 3 of the cleaner body 2, respectively.The wheels 11 are arranged and adapted such that the vacuum cleaner 1during normal and ordinary operation can be easily moved on the surfaceunderneath.

The vacuum cleaner 1 may comprise other functional elements, such ashandles and the like, which will not be described in further detail. Inparticular, at the front side 5 of the vacuum cleaner 1, an interface isprovided which is adapted and configured to connect a flexible suctionhose (not shown).

The vacuum cleaner 1 further comprises two secondary stage cyclone dustseparating units 12. The secondary stage cyclone dust separating units12 are positioned and mounted laterally at the front side 5. As can inparticular be seen from FIG. 1, the primary stage dust collectingchamber 9 and the secondary stage cyclone dust separating units 12 aremounted in between the lateral sides 7, wherein the primary stage dustcollecting chamber 9 is centered between the secondary stage cyclonedust separating units 12.

The proposed arrangement of primary stage dust collecting chamber 9 andsecondary stage cyclone dust separating units 12, allows a compact andspace saving design. Further, a functional arrangement combined withgood operability of components of the vacuum cleaner 1 can be obtained.

Further details of the vacuum cleaner will become apparent in connectionwith FIGS. 2 to 6. As can be seen in more detail from FIG. 2,representing a partially broken up side view of the vacuum cleaner 1,each secondary stage cyclone dust separating unit 12 comprises severalconical cyclones 13. The conical cyclones 13 have equal size, i. e.dimensions, and are arranged side to side in parallel to a respectivelateral side 7.

The secondary stage cyclone dust separating unit 12 is connected to theprimary stage cyclone dust separating unit 8 by air channels 14 runningat the top side 4 of the cleaner body 2. The air outlet of the primarystage cyclone dust separator 8 is located towards the back side 6 andcentered with respect to the lateral sides 7. The air channels 14 areguided from a centered back side location in a curved section towardsrespective lateral sides 7 and then are guided along the lateral sides 7of the cleaner body 2 to the secondary stage cyclone dust separatingunits 12.

With further reference to FIG. 2, the conical cyclones 13 are mountedand aligned such that their center axes are tilted, preferably by anangle α between 10 to 50 degrees, from top front to bottom back, whichis indicated for one of the conical cyclones by a dotted arrow (v2). Thetilt angle shall be understood to be defined between a vector v1parallel to the front to back direction and a vector v2 parallel to acenter axis of a respective conical cyclone 13 and running in adirection top front to bottom back.

In a direction perpendicular to the center axes, the conical cyclones 13are positioned in a line, without axial displacement. This in particularmeans that air inlets and air outlets of the conical cyclones of asecondary stage cyclone dust separating unit 12 respectively lie incommon planes and define a dust outlet face of the secondary stagecyclone dust separating unit 12.

With further reference to FIG. 2, each secondary stage cyclone dustseparating unit 12 comprises a secondary stage dust collecting chamber15 downstream of and fluidly connected to dust outlet openings 16 ofrespective conical cyclones 13. In FIG. 2 only one of the secondarystage dust collecting chambers 15 is visible.

On a face side of a respective secondary step dust collecting chamber 15facing the dust outlet openings 16 of the conical cyclones 13, thesecondary step dust collecting chamber 15 has corresponding dust inletopenings 22. The dust inlet openings 22 and dust outlet openings 16 areadapted such that a tight, in particular fluid tight, connection betweensecondary step dust collecting chamber 15 and respective conicalcyclones 13 is obtained.

From FIG. 2 it can further be seen, that with regard to front to backdirection each secondary stage dust collecting chamber 15 is positionedand mounted behind respective secondary stage cyclones 13. From FIG. 1it can be seen that with regard to front to back direction the secondarystage dust collecting chambers 15 are arranged flush with respectivesecondary stage cyclones 13 and respective cyclone units.

The arrangement as described before is advantageous for obtainingcompact overall designs. In addition, the proposed arrangement allowsfavorable usability and handling of components of the vacuum cleaner 1,and of the vacuum cleaner 1 as a whole.

With reference to FIG. 3, the vacuum cleaner comprises a further filterunit 17, which may be a tertiary stage dust separator, for example. Notethat even higher order dust separating stages may be provided. Thefilter unit 17 in the present case may comprise or make up a finefilter, in particular main filter, of the vacuum cleaner 1.

The filter unit 17 is mounted, with regard to front to back direction,behind the primary stage dust collecting chamber 9 and with regard tobottom to top direction below the primary stage cyclone dust separator8. In combination with FIG. 2 it becomes clear, that the filter unit 17is centered between the secondary stage dust collecting chambers 15. Bythis, optimal utilization of space and compact designs can be obtained.

The secondary stage dust collecting chambers 15 and filter unit 17 inthe present case are part of and make up an integral vacuum cleanerfilter assembly 18 shown in more details in FIGS. 4 to 6.

The filter unit 17 is arranged between the secondary dust collectingchambers 15. In more detail, the filter unit extends from and betweeninner lateral sides 19 of the secondary dust collecting chambers. Thefilter unit 17 may comprise a carrier frame 20 and a filter element 21attached to the carrier frame 20. As can be seen from FIGS. 4 to 6, thefilter unit 17, in particular the carrier frame 20, and the secondarystage dust collecting chambers 15, in particular the shells or outerwalls, in particular inner lateral walls, of the secondary stage dustcollecting chambers 15 are implemented in a one-piece configuration.

The filter unit 17 as a whole has a base area of essentially rectangularshape, which can best be seen from FIG. 6. The secondary stage dustcollecting chambers 15 respectively have rectangular base areas and ingeneral cuboid type bodies or inner volumes.

Throughout FIGS. 3 to 6 the secondary stage dust collecting chambers 15have a triangular shaped structure, in which cross sections in parallelto the base area decrease in a direction from bottom to top. Due to thecuboid structure of the secondary stage dust collecting chambers 15 thecross sections in bottom to top direction almost all have rectangularshapes.

The triangular shape of the secondary stage dust collecting chambersresults from the fact that a dust outlet face, comprising dust outletopenings 16 of the conical cyclones 13 of the secondary stage cyclonedust separator unit 12, is tilted. Here, dust inlet openings 22 to becoupled with the dust outlet openings 16 are provided at a face side 23of the dust collecting chambers 15. The face sides 23 of the dustcollecting chambers 15 are tilted in accordance with the tilt angle ofthe dust outlet face of the secondary stage cyclone dust separating unit12. It shall be mentioned that the face side 23 is tilted relative tothe base area of a respective secondary stage dust collecting chamber15.

Note that the mentioned tilt angles and tilted faces and face sides areadvantageous for space saving designs, for effective cyclonic dustcollecting, for easily emptying the secondary stage dust collectingchambers and for easily discharging and/or rinsing dust from the vacuumcleaner filter assembly 18.

In accordance with the tilt angle of the conical cyclones, the tiltangle of the face side 23 preferably is in the range between 10 and 50degrees, preferably amounts about 30 degrees.

As can be best seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, the filter unit 17 is slantedrelative to the ground area of the vacuum cleaner filter assembly 18.The filter unit 17 essentially runs parallel to the tilted face sides 23of the secondary stage dust collecting chambers 15.

In particular with reference to FIG. 5, the vacuum cleaner filterassembly 18 at the bottom side comprises a lid 24. The lid 24 is adaptedand implemented to close and seal the bottom openings 25 of respectivesecondary stage dust collecting chambers 15.

In order to tightly close the secondary stage dust collecting chambers15, a seal may be provided between chamber openings 25 and lid 24.Further, in order to tightly and fixedly close the secondary stage dustcollecting chambers 15 there may be provided fixtures to hold the lid 24in the closed position.

In the present case, the lid 24 is hingedly connected along alongitudinal lateral edge to the bottom face of the vacuum cleanerfilter assembly 18. At the other longitudinal lateral edge, the lid 24comprises snap elements 26 adapted to interact and build up snapconnections with counterpart snap elements 27 provided at the carrierframe 20. Via the snap elements 26 and counterpart snap elements 27, thesecondary stage dust collecting chambers 15 can be tightly closed butcan be easily emptied.

As already stated, it shall be emphasized that the secondary stage dustcollecting chambers 15 and filter unit 17, at least the carrier frame20, are implemented as a one-piece part which may be manufactured byinjection molding, for example.

Coming now back to FIGS. 2 and 3, it can be seen that the vacuum cleanerfilter assembly 18 is accommodated within the cleaner body 2 in a typeof holding fixture. Further, the vacuum cleaner filer assembly 18 isaccommodated in the cleaner body in such a way that it is accessiblefrom the bottom side 3, such that it can be set in and be removed fromthe cleaner body, in particular holding fixture, from the bottom side 3of the cleaner body 2.

In order to fixedly hold the vacuum cleaner filter assembly 18 withinthe cleaner body 2, a cover element 28, for example a flap or lid, maybe provided at the bottom side 3 of the cleaner body. The cover element28 may be hingedly attached at the bottom side 3, and for examplecomprise a click and snap connection to tightly close the holdingfixture or opening intended for receiving the vacuum cleaner filterassembly 18. The open configuration of the cover element 28 is indicatedas a dashed line in FIG. 2.

As can be seen, the vacuum cleaner filter assembly 18 can easily beremoved and reinstalled from and into the holding fixture or cleanerbody 2. The vacuum cleaner filter assembly 18 in the present case can bemoved in vertical direction, i. e. in bottom to top direction forinstalling and in top to bottom direction for removing the vacuumcleaner filter assembly 18 from the cleaner body 2, which is indicatedby a double arrow in FIG. 2.

Removing the vacuum cleaner filter assembly 18 does not requireelaborate and complicated actions. In particular, removal of the vacuumcleaner filter assembly 18 from the vacuum cleaner 1 can be accomplishedwithout dispersing too much dust. For cleaning and removing dust fromthe vacuum cleaner filter assembly 18 it is possible to rinse the wholevacuum cleaner filter assembly 18 with water. This has the advantagethat the user will have less contact with dust and dust particulatematter.

In all, it can be seen, that the proposed vacuum cleaner provides acompact design, enhanced usability and satisfactory cleaning efficiency.

List of Reference Numerals

1 vacuum cleaner

2 cleaner body

3 bottom side

4 top side

5 front side

6 back side

7 lateral side

8 primary stage cyclone dust separator

9 primary stage dust collecting chamber

10 dust outlet opening

11 wheel

12 secondary stage cyclone dust separating unit

13 conical cyclone

14 air channel

15 secondary stage dust collecting chamber

16 dust outlet opening

17 filter unit

18 vacuum cleaner filter assembly

19 inner lateral side

20 carrier frame

21 filter element

22 dust inlet opening

23 face side

24 lid

25 bottom opening

26 snap element

27 counterpart snap element

28 cover element

α tilt angle

v1, v2 vectors

1-12. (canceled)
 13. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a vacuum cleaner body;a cyclonic dust separation unit provided in the vacuum cleaner body andhaving at least one cyclone for separating dust from a flow of air, anda dust outlet through which the dust separated by the cyclone exits thecyclonic dust separation unit; and a filter assembly removablyconnectable to the vacuum cleaner body and the cyclonic dust separationunit, the filter assembly comprising: a dust collecting chambercomprising a sealed chamber except for a dust inlet that is in fluidcommunication with the dust outlet of the cyclonic dust separation unit,when the filter assembly is connected to the vacuum cleaner body, toreceive the dust separated by the cyclonic dust separation unit, and afilter unit attached to and extending from the dust collecting chamberand having a filter positioned outside the dust collecting chamber. 14.A vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the filter assemblycomprises two dust collecting chambers laterally spaced from each otherin a mirror symmetric alignment, each of the two dust collectingchambers having a respective lateral side facing the other of the twodust collection chambers, and wherein the filter unit is attached to andextends between the respective lateral sides of the two dust collectingchambers.
 15. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the filterassembly is slideably insertable into the vacuum cleaner body along aninstallation direction; the dust inlet is provided at a face side of thedust collecting chamber; and the face side is tilted at an anglerelative to a the installation axis.
 16. A vacuum cleaner according toclaim 15, wherein the cyclonic dust separation unit comprises aplurality of cyclones, each cyclone having a separate respective dustoutlet, and wherein the separate respective dust outlets are arranged ina line that is parallel to the face side.
 17. A vacuum cleaner accordingto claim 15, wherein the collecting chamber comprises a base that isadjacent an outer surface of the vacuum cleaner body when the filterassembly is connected to the vacuum cleaner body, and the face side istilted at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the base.
 18. A vacuumcleaner according to claim 17, wherein a tilt angle of the face siderelative to the base is in the range between 10 and 50 degrees.
 19. Avacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the tilt angle of the faceside relative to the base is about 30 degrees.
 20. A vacuum cleaneraccording to claim 13, wherein the collecting chamber comprises a basethat is adjacent an outer surface of the vacuum cleaner body when thefilter assembly is connected to the vacuum cleaner body, and the crosssectional area of the dust collecting chamber in planes parallel to abase decreases at locations further from the base.
 21. A vacuum cleaneraccording to claim 20, wherein the filter comprises a panel filter thatis slanted at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the base.
 22. Avacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the dust collectingchamber comprises a lid movable between a closed position in which thelid closes and seals a portion of the dust collecting chamber, and anopen position in which the lid opens the portion of the dust collectingchamber to allow removal of dust from the dust collecting chamber.
 23. Avacuum cleaner according to claim 22, wherein the lid is pivotablyattached to and provided at a bottom face of the filter assembly.
 24. Avacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the dust collectingchamber and at least a supporting frame of the filter unit comprise aone-piece part.
 25. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein thevacuum cleaner filter assembly is accessible from a bottom side of thevacuum cleaner body.
 26. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 13,wherein: the cyclonic dust separation unit comprises a primary stagecyclone unit and a secondary stage cyclone unit located downstream ofthe primary stage cyclone unit; the dust collecting chamber comprises asecondary stage dust collecting chamber configured to receive andcollect dust separated by the secondary stage cyclone unit; and thefilter unit comprises a tertiary dust separation filter unit.
 27. Avacuum cleaner according to claim 26, further comprising a primary stagedust collecting chamber in fluid communication with an outlet of theprimary stage cyclone unit to receive a portion of dust separated by theprimary stage cyclone unit.
 28. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 13,wherein: the cyclonic dust separation unit comprises two separate groupsof cyclones, each group of cyclones having a respective dust outlet; andthe dust collecting chamber comprises two dust collecting chambers, eachdust collecting chamber having a respective dust inlet configured tocouple with the dust outlet of a respective one of the groups ofcyclones when the filter assembly is connected to the vacuum cleanerbody.
 29. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 28, wherein the filterunit extends between the two dust collecting chambers.
 30. A vacuumcleaner according to claim 13, wherein: the cyclonic dust separationunit comprises a plurality of parallel cyclones, and the dust outletcomprises a separate dust outlet for each of the plurality of cyclones;and The dust collecting chamber comprises a separate dust inlet for eachof the dust outlets.
 31. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 30, whereineach of the parallel cyclones comprises a conical cyclone body, eachseparate dust outlet is located at a terminal end of each conicalcyclone body, and each separate dust inlet seals with a respective oneof the separate dust outlets.